In addition to the rich Native Hawaiian cultural heritage, maritime activities following European contact with the islands have left behind 60 known shipwrecks and 67 airplane crashes. Pearl and Hermes Reef Atoll is named for the twin wrecks of the British whalers Pearl and Hermes, lost in 1822. Laysan, Gardner Pinnacles, and Maro Reef were all found by American whalers. Three of the ten known whaling shipwrecks have been located, and their archaeological assessment is underway.

During World War II, French Frigate Shoals was a temporary staging site for Japanese seaplanes, then a U.S. naval air facility. Tern Island, in French Frigate Shoals, was expanded after the Battle of Midway through dredging to create a naval for staging aircraft from the main Hawaiian Islands and provide faster resupply of Midway.